In darkened interior of the U.S.S. Icarus II, a small panel on the command console suddenly came to life. The ship's computer, detecting a change in course, initiated its pre-programmed sequence perfectly. Within minutes, the three sealed capsules, each containing a human figure, began to pulse with life. The wake up program had begun. The temperature of the capsules was increased slowly, the lighting in the cabin increased to normal, and hypodermic syringes connected to automatic controls began to pump a drug cocktail into the veins of each of the astronauts. This preparation was designed to bring their autonomic functions back to normal. It also contained a strong stimulant to enable the astronauts to function almost immediately.
Commander Henry "Hank" Maddox, United States Navy, opened his eyes and was immediately conscious of a pounding headache. The gentle noise of the glass seal of his capsule sliding open sounded more like a jackhammer pounding into New Hampshire granite. Next to him, his second in command, Major John Brent , U.S.A.F. was already swinging out of his sleep capsule. "Ohhhhh, mercy. What do they put in that wake-up juice anyway, Wild Turkey?" said Brent.
"Wild Turkey would be an improvement." replied Maddox, massaging his neck, and silently cursing the nerds in the cryolab who had never quite figured out how to adjust the wake- up protocol to keep it from producing the effects of a killer hangover. "Franklin, are you awake up there?" he called out to their pilot, Captain Judy Franklin. "Franklin?" He stood up and turned to towards Franklin's capsule.
"Skipper, could you please stop that screaming?" said Franklin groggily, brushing a shock of auburn hair away from her face as she sat up. Brent and Maddox smiled at each other. As Maddox went to help Franklin down from her upper berth, he couldn't help but notice Brent's raised eyebrow. Such chivalric gestures were very much frowned upon by NASA training standards. Officially, everyone on a mixed-gender mission was supposed to be absolutely equal. Unofficially, Maddox knew that was crap. In any case, the training his father had given him on how to act around the opposite sex had more hold over him than the facilitators at NASA ever would.
"Are we there yet?" asked Franklin, as her feet hit the deck..
"That's what I'm hoping you can tell me. See if you can get a position report. I'll run a systems check on the ship. Brent, check the scanners and radio, see if you can pick anything up." ordered Maddox, getting down to business. Both crewmen acknowledged their commander and moved forward into the command section. Brent sat down at his console and immediately noted the yellow alert light showing the ship was off its pre programmed course. "Something pulled us off course. That's why the computer woke us up." said Brent. As Judy Franklin logged on to her console, she looked through the cockpit window and saw a cloudy blue planet dead ahead. As she looked through the clouds, and noticed some of the landforms, she got a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"The proximity alarm sensor failed. Other than that, the ship is functioning perfectly." said Maddox. "What could have pulled us off course beyond the ability of the ship to compensate for?"
"Commander Maddox." Franklin said in a voice tinged with awe.
Before he could answer, Brent looked up from his own station. "Skipper, we're being hailed!"
"What! By who?" asked Maddox.
"Locator beam says a ship. Close aboard!" said Brent. He pushed a button on his console. "Its coming through now."
"U.S.S. Icarus II, this is the Earth ship Santa Maria. Do you copy?" Alan Carter's Australian accented voice came through the speaker loud and clear. The three American astronauts looked at each other in disbelief.
"Earth ship? How can that possibly be? No other ship was even close to being launched that could catch up to us!" said Maddox.
"And he called us by name, too." noted Maddox.
"That's what I was trying to tell you." interjected Franklin. "The planet we're approaching. I think its Earth!"
Maddox had no answer for that. He listened as the hail was repeated. "Skipper, shouldn't we respond?" asked Brent. Maddox hesitated before answering. His mission training had not covered this contingency. But as a naval officer, he was adept at improvising. "Under the circumstances, we don't have much choice." He nodded to Brent, who toggled a switch on his console and picked up a microphone attached to a wire, and handed it to Maddox. "Santa Maria, this Commander Hank Maddox of the U.S.S. Icarus II. We read you loud and clear. Please state your intentions. "
"Commander Maddox, this is Captain Alan Carter of Moonbase Alpha. We contacted you because you are currently on course for a crash landing on Earth. Do you copy?"
Maddox turned to Brent, who responded with a dumbfounded shrug and mouthed the words 'what the hell? Maddox covered his microphone and turned to Judy Franklin. "Check it out." he ordered. "Captain Carter, please stand by."
It took Judy Franklin a couple of minutes to verify through star readings what their eyes and the voice on the radio was telling them. "Skipper, he's right. That's our sun, and that's Earth. I don't know exactly how, but we've come home."
Maddox sat down at his console heavily, and said nothing. "What about this crash landing he mentioned?" Brent asked at length.
"We're still picking up the ion trail from Colonel Taylor's mission. Unless our instruments are way off, it looks like Icarus must have somehow ended up on an elliptical course that took it right back to Earth. Somewhere in the northeastern United States. And that's not all skipper." said Franklin, pausing.
"What else?" asked Maddox.
"Look at the mission clock." said Franklin. They all moved over to the auxiliary station that gave them two sets of dates and time. The first was the ship time, which told them they had been in suspended animation for six months. The second indicator was Earth time. It read June 19th, 3984. They all stared at it for a full minute, as the implications of it sunk in.
Maddox finally broke the silence. "All right people, we'll have plenty of time to discuss this later. Dr. Hasslein's plan for putting us on the exact same flight path as the Icarus has worked perfectly. For now, lets see where we stand with our visitors." he picked up the microphone again and toggled 'transmit.'
"Captain Carter, this is Commander Maddox speaking again. We acknowledge your message. We are on a mission from Earth's distant past. A previous ship of this type on a deep space probe apparently crashed on Earth fairly recently. Our sensors indicate its ion trail leads to the area of the northeastern United States. We are here to conduct a rescue operation. Do you wish to assist us?" inquired Maddox.
"Commander Maddox, we are from Moonbase Alpha. Some of our people have already made contact with the Icarus probe that you are here to rescue. I strongly recommend you accompany us to Alpha. There, you will be able to communicate directly with our landing party and with Colonel Taylor." responded Carter.
They all started at hearing Taylor's name mentioned. Maddox's mind was racing, trying to make sense of all this. "Captain Carter, my orders are to locate any survivors of the Icarus and return with them to our own time. Now that you've verified that at least one member of the Icarus crew is alive, my duty is to proceed directly to Earth and retrieve him."
"Its difficult to explain, Commander Maddox. In the last five years, Colonel Taylor has become embroiled in a ..a political situation you might say. Its very delicate. Right now, he and our commander are involved in some negotiations that are critical to Earth's future. Your sudden presence down there might upset things. We deliberately knocked you off course because on your present heading, you would have suffered a crash landing. The topography of Earth has undergone some radical changes. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you right now." said Carter.
"Captain Carter, what organization do you represent?" asked Maddox.
"Moonbase Alpha is under the authority of the Lunar Science and Research Organization." said Carter simply.
"Acknowledged, Santa Maria. Please stand by." said Maddox. He turned to his crewmates. "Well, what do you make of that?" he asked.
"Skipper, I don't like it." said Brent immediately. "These people appear out of nowhere, pull us off course, and then feed us some half-ass story about Colonel Taylor becoming involved in local politics. Its crazy!"
Maddox regarded Brent thoughtfully for a moment, then turned to Franklin. "Judy?" he asked.
"One thing is for sure; we are not designed for a water landing, nor are we rough surface capable. If what he says is true, and after two thousand years it's a strong possibility, we could be buying ourselves a plot if we try to land on Taylor's coordinates." said Franklin.
"For all we know, that's exactly what happened to Icarus." said Maddox.
"Skipper, once we land on this moon base, there is no guarantee we'll be allowed to lift off again." said Brent ominously.
Maddox thought that one over, not liking any of the possibilities he was presented with. "I think if these guys were hostile, they could have blown us out of space while we were asleep. In any case, if they represent the present day Earth government, that means we are going to need their help to complete our mission." He picked up the microphone again. "Captain Carter, this is Commander Maddox. Please transmit your coordinates, we'll follow you in."
"Will do, Commander Maddox. Transmitting now." said Carter. The three of them then moved to their respective stations to prepare for landing.
President Honorius paced back and forth in his office, waiting for some word. When the first reports of humans in a horseless vehicle reached his office, he had quickly assembled his cabinet. Present were Dr. Zaius, Mandemus, his top advisor, Petronius, his chief of staff, Cornelius and Zira. Also present was the gorilla Octavius, acting commander of the army and police. General Urko was in the hospital, unconscious, with a severe concussion and a broken arm
"Mr. President, we've sent riders out to all the outlying posts with orders for all units to return to Ape City, but it will take several hours for them to get here." said Octavius.
"Meanwhile, we are defenseless against these humans." grumbled Honorius. "With all the money and resources we invest in the army, and what do we have to show for it? All we have available to defend us is a single squad of reserves and the civil guard!" He directed this last accusation at Octavius with a wave of his index finger.
"Sir, that's hardly fair. The army has never been dispersed to fight a war in downtown Ape City. Our best units have always been stationed on the frontiers." protested Octavius.
"Besides, if even half of what has been reported about these humans is true, I doubt the entire armed forces of the Ape Commonwealth would be of much help." said Cornelius.
"That's defeatist talk, Cornelius!" said Zaius.
"No, it's the truth!" snapped Zira. "I had ample opportunity to talk with these humans, and I have no reason to doubt the veracity of their story."
Before anyone could respond, a gorilla sergeant came running in to the president's office. 'Sir!" he said breathlessly. "Sergeant Brutacus reporting. The humans and their horseless vehicle are at the main crossroads on the eastern outskirts!"
"What?" said Honorius. "Are they advancing into the city, then?"
"No sir. They are waiting, and request your presence. Captain Marcus escorted them there under a flag of truce." replied Brutacus.
"A flag of truce, you say?" said Honorius. Brutacus merely nodded. Honorius narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
"Mandemus?" asked Honorius.
"Mr. President, I think your only course is to meet this human and see what he has to say." said Mandemus.
"Dr. Zaius?" asked Honorius.
"Mr. President, I would advise caution. If they wipe out the government, Ape City will be defenseless." said Zaius.
"Surely, if they wanted to attack they would not have come here with an offer of truce." retorted Zira.
"You forget the teachings of the Lawgiver, Dr. Zira. Man's cunning and treachery, even against his own kind, is what made a wasteland of the Forbidden Zone." said Zaius. "Mr. President, I suggest we wait until the gorilla reinforcements arrive. Then we can meet these humans on equal terms, and drive them out of Ape City if necessary."
"You're assuming we have the capability to do that." interjected Petronius.
"Colonel Octavius?" inquired Honorius.
"Mr. President, if you order us to attack these humans, we will. With our combined arms we might be able to drive them out of Ape City. They are, after all, few in number. Its what might come later that worries me. If they respond by sending a hundred humans with lightening guns, and ten of those horseless vehicles against us…" he trailed off. Cornelius was immediately impressed with the new gorilla commander. Clearly, he looked farther ahead than the end of his nose, which for a gorilla was impressive indeed.
Honorius got up from his desk. "Cornelius and Zira, you come with me. The rest of you wait here. Dr. Zaius, if this is a trap, it will be up to you to organize a counter-attack against these humans."
"Yes, Mr. President." said Zaius as Honorius and the two chimpanzees went out. The three of them mounted horses being held by one of the gorilla honor guards at the entrance to the presidential residence, and rode away at a cantor. In a few minutes they came to the eastern crossroads. As Honorius dismounted, he was astonished at the site of the APC and the humans standing near it. Several of them were clearly soldiers. They were well armed and their bearing reminded him of gorillas. But two of the humans were dressed in less military type clothing, wearing cream colored trousers and blue jackets. One of these, curiously, wore an odd looking wide-brimmed hat. Was that a badge of leadership amoung these humans? But the other human stepped forward.
"I am told you are the leader of this community." said Koenig simply.
"Yes, I am Honorius, president of the Ape Commonwealth. This is Dr. Cornelius and Dr. Zira, two of our most esteemed scientists. They met the two members of your tribe whom I believe you came here in search of ." Honorius said delicately, carefully omitting any mention of the fact that Tony Verdeschi was held as a captive.
"I am John Koenig, commander of Moonbase Alpha." responded Koenig shortly. "That man over there is one of us. I'd like to take him back with us for decent burial." Koenig pointed to the caged area with the stacked bodies of humans.
Honorius turned to two of the gorilla soldiers and pointed. They brought out Blaine's broken body and handed it over to two of McAndrews men, who put him in a waiting body bag. The members of the response team glowered at the gorillas as they took Blaine's body into the APC.
"Mr. President, I would like to know why your gorillas killed my man, and why you felt the need to slaughter these other humans." asked Koenig cooly.
"Commander, perhaps it would be better to discuss these matters indoors. My office is just a few blocks away." suggested Honorius, with a nervous glance around. The longer these humans remained outdoors, the greater the chance that a soldier or civil guard would open fire.
"We're not going anywhere until I have a satisfactory explanation for this outrage!" said Koenig, pointing towards the pile of stacked human corpses.
Seeing that Honorius was momentarily taken aback at the human's anger, Cornelius decided to step in. "Commander Koenig, you must understand by now that the humans here are mute and primitive. The gorilla patrol your people encountered were doing their duty in protecting our croplands. They claim your people fired first"
"You lost one man, Commander Koenig., and I regret that. But your people killed twelve gorillas!" retorted Honorius. Koenig considered this for a moment. "All right. President Honorius., lead the way." Koenig turned to McAndrew. "You're in charge here. Hold your position until I return."
"Yes, Commander." responded McAndrew reluctantly. He did not like the idea of letting Koenig go unescorted, but knew that Koeng would brook no argument. Koenig followed President Honorius several blocks through the center of Ape City. Koenig had a chance to observe the curious mixture of architechture and technology that apparently spanned several eons. He noted the expressions of the apes in the street, ranging from shock, outrage, to curiosity at this odd group of humans.
Taking his seat in the president's office, Koenig exercised patience and waited for Honorius to begin. The president's office was spacious, even crowded with so many people and apes. Sitting next to Koenig was Tony, Maya, Taylor, and Lieutenant Marcus. Dr. Zaius, Petronius, Mandemus, Cornelius, and Zira stood by Honorius behind his desk, while Octavius and Reilly stood on opposite sides of the room.
"Commander Koenig, I must begin by warning you that the presence of armed humans in the middle of Ape City, is a provocation to our population, especially the gorillas who make up our army and police." said Honorius.
"Mr. President, it is not our intention to provoke a confrontation. We came here in peace, only to settle on the world of our birth." said Koenig.
"Yes, Dr. Zaius has relayed to me the story that your man Tony here told him. That you humans have a colony on this.. moon that now shines in our night sky. I have to say I find the whole thing hard to credit" said Honorius. "We have long suspected the existence of a human tribe living beyond the Forbidden Zone. Its certainly a more plausible explanation than the story you are telling me now. The only thing that remains unknown are your intentions"
"Mr. President, their intentions are clear enough: they wish to subjugate all of Apekind under a human heel. Why else would they come here brandishing weapons?" said Zaius.
"We only opened fire after we saw human beings getting slaughtered!" protested Tony.
"Tony." Koenig admonished. "Mr. President, we of Moonbase Alpha know nothing about this Forbidden Zone of yours. We have been away from Earth for almost two thousand of your years. Colonel Taylor here was part of a separate expedition from Earth's distant past. Before our arrival here several days ago, we knew nothing of him or his own encounter with your society."
Honorius considered this for a full minute before answering. "Commander Koenig, your explanation about the encounter between your exploratory party and our gorilla patrol seems reasonable enough to me, even if the rest of what you say is preposterous. But I am responsible for the safety and well being of the whole Ape Commonwealth. If I am to write off the death of twelve gorillas at the hands of humans, I will need to offer more than just your word. Do you understand what I am telling you?" asked Honorius.
"President Honorius, I believe I do understand. What if I were able to prove to you that everything Tony told your people is the absolute truth?" asked Koenig. "Would you then be willing to discuss a peaceful settlement with us?"
"What proof could you offer?" asked Honorius.
Koenig casually pulled out his commlock."Koenig to Eagle One."
"Eagle One, Frasier here." Again, all the apes were shocked to hear the voice of a man coming from the commlock.
"Frasier, I want you to make a flight over the center of my position, right over the middle of Ape City. Make it low, and give us several passes so everyone can get a real good look at you." ordered Koenig.
"On my way, Commander." said Frasier. Koenig showed his commlock to the president. "This device allows me to talk to my people over great distances. Its called a commlock." he replaced the device on his belt. "Mr. President?" With a polite gesture, Koenig invited Honorius to lead the way out of his office.
Honorius proceeded out of his office, through the ante- chambers, followed by a retinue of human and ape advisors. They walked through the main gate of the presidential compound.
"Right about here should be just fine." suggested Koenig. They all stopped and waited. In the next instant, Koenig heard the sound of the Eagle's engines laboring as it flew low. He then caught sight of it as it passed over the center of the city, just as he had ordered. Frasier took his time and came in low enough that the exhaust from the retros were creating a small dust storm in Ape City. The reaction of the apes upon seeing the flying machine was exactly as he had hoped. Even the two gorillas of the honor guard could not help but stare at the spectacle of a flying vehicle, covering their faces from the wind as they gaped. The faces of the chimpanzee scientists, Cornelius and Zira, as best as he could read them, projected awe. The gorilla colonel showed fear and also resignation. The orangutan called Zaius bowed his head and seemed angry and afraid. Honorius, to his credit, revealed very little of his feelings. Koenig thought to himself that the traits for politicians in this ape society were not all that different than the Earth of the 20th century. He was reminded of his own dealings with inscrutable Earth-bound politicos, before Breakaway had put an end to such worries.
Frasier's eagle made two more leisurely passes over Ape City before returning to his original landing site. Koenig thought to himself that it was an impressive sight. He rarely got to see an Eagle flying in the atmosphere, and almost never at tree top level. Koenig then turned to President Honorius with an expectant expression.
"Commander Koening, in light of this..demonstration, I think we will be able to come to an agreement on the points you mentioned." said Honorius.
"I had a gut feeling he would." observed Tony, sotto voce to Maya. She shushed him with a severe look.
Taylor, who had observed these proceedings silently, allowed himself to relax a little. Maybe this really would be the dawn of a new era for humanity. He walked over to Zira and Cornelius. "With all this drama, I never even had the chance to say hello." he said lightly.
"Taylor, its so good to see you again!" said Zira with genuine warmth. Cornelius extended his right hand to Taylor in the human fashion, Taylor shook it, and felt himself smiling. The kindness and understanding extended to him by these two chimpanzees was a happy memory that stood out all the more strongly in his mind, since it sat amidst a lot of the terror, grief, and despondency that was the hallmark of his stay in Ape City.
"I have to admit, I never thought I would see you or any ape again, except from the inside of a cage that is." said Taylor.
"The arrival of these so-called Alphans is certainly going to change things." commented Cornelius.
"For the better, I hope." said Taylor cautiously.
"Taylor, do you have reason to doubt these people?" asked Zira anxiously.
"No reason in particular. I guess… I'm sure they mean well Zira, but these people are from my own time, and I can't help but wonder if they aren't also carrying with them the same kind of prejudices and flaws that eventually destroyed human civilization."
"Flaws like extreme pessimism?" asked Cornelius sardonically.
Taylor looked sharply at Cornelius. An angry retort came to his lips, but he let it pass. Then he burst out laughing at the absurdity at it all.
"Please tell us what you find so amusing, Taylor." asked Cornelius.
"Life..or fate I guess. I volunteered for the deep space mission because I was a confirmed misanthrope. I thought life in my own time was meaningless. I also thought the last five years had burned that conceit out of me, but I guess enough of the old Taylor is still alive that makes me suspicious."
"Look at it this way, Taylor. Who would you rather deal with? Alphans or gorillas?" asked Zira impishly.
"Well, you've got me there Zira." said Taylor, smiling. Yes, he thought to himself at last. I'm being stupid. The future is never certain, but at least now he and his family and his adapted tribe would have a fair chance. The threat of being wiped out by an ape war of aggression was one big worry he could likely lay aside.